Life has been moving along fairly well. I've been working on my books, etc. Traveling back and forth from FL to AZ to see my grandbabies.

My psychiatrist has decided (did decide) to take me off Cymbalta, my anti depressant, about 4 - 6 weeks ago. (I'd been on it for nearly 3 years). He said that people with bipolar should not be on AD's. At least, people with bipolar and manic tendencies like I have, shouldn't be on AD's.

This is the "wonder drug" I kept telling everyone about with fibro pain and spinal pain. Because the doctors were using it to treat me for my spinal stenosis.

It worked like a dream. No more back pain. Well, not so anymore. Now that I'm coming off Cymbalta, the pain has returned, but that's just an aside.

I'm CRYING!! At everything!! My psychiatrist says it's because I am having seretonin withdrawal. I haven't cried like this in YEARS!!

I didn't know I'd ever be able to cry again. I am shocked and kinda awed at it, but it's annoying too. I tear up at everything. And, not just the sentimental commercials on TV.

My therapist explained it like this: a huge dam has just burst. I'm getting a rush of emotions, but eventually, they'll subside, and I'll "level out". Until then, I'll have to keep the Kleenex company in business!

Just wanted to say "Hi" and let you know what's been happening with me, lately!!

Vicki, if it was working, why are they taking you off it? Didn't they know you were bipolar when they put you on it?

Praying for things to level out soon.

How's the family?

O Dear Vicky,
It's HARD to get off your antidepressent most of the time! The SSRI's are the hardest to discontinue and you have SO many symptoms Ican't name them all here.

Are you tapering off? By doing so you lessen those withdrawal symptoms and stop some of the chaos. You can taper off by reducing the amount you take weekly or even monthly if you are having gastric distress or you can taper sooner if you are not.
You can also taper by taking the medication one day and not taking it the next and continue doing this until you take it every third day, etc...

There are MANY sites that discuss getting off antidepressents and more importantly cymbalta if that is yours. All you have to do is research the topic and you will have a handful of sites to help you and real people to discuss exact symptoms of them. I can recommend one to you if you'd like to PM me.

Good, good luck with getting off and take great care. The SSRI's go right to our brain chemistry and can have deep effects that we may be used to if we take it for certain period of time. Some medications for depression are hell to get off of. I don't know at this instance what is said about cymbalta but I know lexapro can be a real hassle!

Please let me know how you do.

Dancer

According to my Psychiatrist (Anne, I just saw him Wednesday), he says that people with bipolar and manic tendencies like I have don't do well with AD. They have too many manic episodes. Which I was having. Which is what an AD is for. Makes you HAPPY. For me, it was making me too HAPPY.

So he wanted me off the AD. But, he short term effect is this RUSH of emotion from the seretonin withdrawal, which he's now explaining to me ... which he didn't explain would happen to me before.

He says it "should" level off, but in the mean time, he wants to watch me carefully and make sure that I don't swing too far toward the depressive side now that I'm not on any ADs at all.

But, I do take other BP medications. I'm on Abilify, Topomax, Lamictal, and Ativan. All of which are treating my bipolar. Just no more AD.

And, since it was used as a pain blocker, I now have to have a new pain management system in place. So, I have a new doctor for that. ARGH! So, he's looking into treating my spinal stenosis without using an AD type of drug. He put me on Neurontin. But, my psychiatrist told me this week to get off that, as it's not good for my bipolar.

So, go figure, eh?

Dotsie, I went to AZ this last week and spent my granddaughter's first birthday with her. She's not a baby anymore!! Waahhh!!!

She's starting to walk, taking her first few steps! I captured them on video. My grandson is so helpful, he's so protective of her. They are quite the pair. One second he's giving her kisses, the next, he's got her in a headlock!

My SIL is deeply depressed as he's not healing as quickly as he'd hoped. But, the doctors say it takes a long time for the brain to grow back together after being cut apart.

My daughter is holding up the best she can, although I see the strain on her.

My oldest daughter is considering a move to further west! I don't know if I can stand that... and my son proposed to his girlfriend. They've set the date for 10/2010. :-)

Vicki, pardon me but your doctor sounds like a quack, otherwise he would have weaned you off your meds gently, slowly to eleviate the side effects. You still could do it yourself. Cut the dosage by 1/2 weekly and you should be able to handle that.

Vicki, your meds changing sounds confusing. A year and a half ago, I went off Cymbalta due to cost while my husband was unemployed, so no insurance. I CRIED constantly. We were taking a hike on a nice summer day, and I was crying while hiking. I told him that this is what I am like went I'm not on anti-depressants. And we both knew we could not deal with me crying all the time. I would cry in my colleague's office at work, sob, sob, sob. So I went back on Cymbalta, and haven't cried since. Also, when I told my DR that I quit Cymbalta, I was chastised for not consulting with her, to help me "step-down." I was on NEURONTIN for pain related to fibro myalgia, and it (the neurontin) made me weak and dizzy, so no go with that. I was also on Topomax, which gave me tingling in my toes and fingertips. Ativan I took for anxiety, and Abilify I am scared of due to "tardif dyskinesthia (sp)" I did NOT have the crying when I had to go off Celexa during chemo. It was the coming off of Cymbalta that caused the crying. Yes, it was shocking. I thought I was "beyond the tears" I'm trying to relate to what you are going through. I'm on Cymbalta and Wellbutrin, and I want to discontinue the Wellbutrin. Vicki, if that seratonin withdrawal causes a "rush of emotions" why then is it crying related? Why did Cymbalta withdrawal not cause a rush of euphoria? Now that, I could deal with. How about you?

Sorry, Chatty, that I wasn't more clear, I did wean off the Cymbalta, it took 6 weeks. That's what I meant when I said I went off it 6 weeks ago. (If I didn't make myself clear, I apologize.)

It took that long to go from 120 mg a day for 3 years down to nothing.

You're right, if it had been an abrupt cut-off, I would have been horribly sick.

PL, I'm not exactly sure all that is involved in coming off AD's and how it affects different people. All I know is that according to my PD, and his experience in treating BP and mania, he feels that AD's are not the right option. I've been working with him for a little over a year now, and he wanted to take away my Cymbalta a year ago, but didn't because it was helping the pain relief for my back. But, treating any mental illness, especially BP, is a crap shoot. What works for one person, doesn't always work for another, and what works for one person one year, doesn't always work the next.

However, my PD, did say that Cymbalta (and I don't know if he was generalizing with other seretonin ADs) dry up the tear ducts. So, that could be one of the reasons why a person wouldn't cry as much.

I have to clarify, I'm not crying for no reason. I'm not sitting in my living room having depressing boo-hoo sessions with myself. What I'm experiencing is an emotional release / a flood feelings that are surfacing from a well that I'd thought long dried and capped.

I'm being "moved" to tears or having emotional "moments" by words, pictures, sounds that didn't make the slightest difference to me while I was on the medication. None of which are depressing me, at this time. Which is all that I can ask for and all that my dr wants me to be on the look out for right now.

As for the rush of euphoria, it's possible that the pendulum will swing that way for me, as I level out. That's how it works for BP. What goes down must go up, and vice versa. And, I have to prepare myself for that. As much as I can. Moods can sometimes slam a person, MI or not.

For me, euphoria would be the ultimate "high", and and akin to a manic cycle and probably not so good for me. Hence, the reason I'm supposed to be getting off the ADs in the first place. Too much of a risk of sliding into a manic episode.

Basically, it's like this. I was being treated for everything by my primary care DR. He was using Cymbalta not as an AD for me, but as a nerve block pain relief. It just so happened it was an AD as well. And, so he added it to my BP drugs. After I was hospitalized in Jan 2008, my psychiatrist, wanted me off all ADs. He got rid of all of them except Cymbalta as it was providing the pain relief. Now, a year later, the pain relief does not outweigh the BP treatment, and he wants me off it.

PL, I was on Wellbutrin before I went into the hospital, but my PD, took that away immediately.

Have I thoroughly confused everyone so far? It's a confusing subject. Especially as there's no one drug/one treatment for MI or for BP.

But, all I do know, is this crying thing is a whole new experience .. and it's funny (weird) what kinds of things will start me tearing up.

So, thanks for listening to my convoluted explanation.

Welbutrin can produce flu like symptoms when tapering down. No matter how slow you go, you're likely, (if you've been taking it for awhile,) experience some flu like symptoms as well as some chills, even shaking when you feel colder than people around you. It's not the worst to get off of at all. An SSRI is the hardest to drop.

The doctor taking you off, Vicki, an antidepressent, if you are bipolar makes perfect sense. It should have been done a bit slower. ( I am working in psyche at the hospital.) Every doctor has thier way and he might have seen symptoms in you that caused him to take you off it as soon as possible.

So long as you don't feel depressed, as you said, you are alright, the same goes for a swing of mania. Depression is a different illness than bipolar and the taking of AD's for bipolar can be dangerous as far as a manic relapse. The meds he has you on besides the AD sound as if they are geared to balance your moods.

I work for the American Pain Foundation and I'm here to tell you that few people find relief from Neurontin. It is used so Doctors can say that they have tried other, non narcotic pain relievers before prescribing narcotic ones. Neurontin was made to control siezures and in my opinion using one drug to do something it was not originally made for is asking for trouble. Neurontin can cause severe weight gain through water weight and numbness along with a slew of other side effects. There are many psyche meds prescribed for pain that are not so affective because they were not made for pain in the first place. One can best hope for a numb feeling.

Sometimes a good ol' pain killer is what one needs for Chronic Pain. Once you are on one you can easily come off it if you taper, I've done it myself often. I have reduced my pain med by 2 thirds with no problem or real "detox," problems. I've needed no help to handle my pain relievers either.

Any questions regarding pain relief, please PM me.

Dancer

Other than having been widowed twice and the loss of my son I never allowed depression to consume me. I never took drugs and fought myself and healed. I was lucky!

Now however, even still, on no drugs, I am depressed all the time. This situation I am in is killing me, slowly. I sit and just cry, and cry. I can see no feasable way out of my dilema. Last night I wept like a child for hours before falling asleep. I can't imagine that drugging myself would help in anyway. The problem will still be there, drugged or not, so why add to my confusion??